


Charming as an Eel

by Eicartgeorge



Series: 25 Days of Stydia Christmas [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Shopping, F/M, Mentioned Allison Argent, Mentioned Scott McCall, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Sassy Lydia, Strangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 20:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12895848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eicartgeorge/pseuds/Eicartgeorge
Summary: All Stiles needs is some help finding the perfect gift for his secret Santa, simple right?Title comes from "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."





	Charming as an Eel

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the prompt: Lydia is a sales assistant helping Stiles find the perfect gift.

No... No... No...

 

“Ugh!” Stiles groaned out loud.

 

“Hi, sir. Can I help you with anything?”

 

“No.” He said and shook his head without turning around. “Well, yeah, but..” he looked up at the girl who had spoken to him, her eyes narrowed in confusion, but an otherwise bored expression was fixed in her features. “I mean...no...” He shook his head again. “I don't know.”

 

“Okay.” Her tone matched the bored look she was giving him. “Well, if you figure it out, I'll be over here.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder then turned around to walk away.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Wait.”

 

She stopped and turned back around to face him.

 

“You're a girl...right?”

 

She screwed her face into a thinking position, eyes looking off into the distance. Her hands came up and she grabbed her boobs, squeezed and played with them a moment, then nodded satisfactorily. “Yep! Looks that way.” Stiles blinked, and realized his mouth was hanging open. “But, if you're not convinced, I can check something else...” She'd reached for the hem of her skirt and was slowly lifting it up before Stiles realized what she was doing.

 

“No, stop!” He said quickly, grabbing her hand to halt her movements. Then almost as quickly, he jerked his hand back when he realized where it was and how inappropriate it may look to any other shoppers.

 

The salesgirl smirked, crossed her arms over her chest, and cocked her head. In a sweet an helpful voice, she asked, “How can I assist you today?”

 

“You're insane.” Stiles told her point blank and turned around. He could get a gift somewhere else.

 

“No, I'm Lydia. You must have me confused with someone else.” He only shook his head and continued walking. He heard her sigh behind him and then a “Wait,” and the sound of heels clicking toward him. He stopped and turned around, deciding he would probably regret the decision. “I'm sorry.” She apologized. “Really, what do you need help with?”

 

“I don't think I want to tell you.”

 

“I promise to be less sarcastic,” she said as she raised her right hand. “Scout's honor.”

 

Stiles spent way longer than he should have contemplating if this Lydia girl was, in fact, a girl scout (he decided he could actually see it going either way) before sighing.

 

“Okay, look...my best friend is having a Christmas party and I picked his girlfriend for secret Santa.”

 

Lydia nodded, “Okay... and what? You're actually in love with her?”

 

“What?! No! I've never even met her!”

 

“Hey, I'm not here to judge." She said, throwing her hands up.

 

"I'm not in love with her!"

 

"Okay..whatever you say. So your friend and his girlfriend... are they serious?”

 

“I don't-” Stiles stopped abruptly. “Wait...why do you care? What does that have to do with anything?”

 

Lydia shrugged. “I don't know. Curiosity I guess?” His eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Look, if you're not here for love advice, then what do you need?”

 

“A _present_! For my best friend's _girlfriend_!”

 

“Oh! Well, then why didn't you just say that?”

 

Stiles gestured wildly, “I tried!”

 

“Okay, sir.” Lydia said softly, “I'm going to have to ask for you to lower your voice. You're making a scene.”

 

His eyes widened, and he felt like he was going to scream. “You know what? I want to talk to the manager.”

 

“Okay. Let me get her for you.” Lydia said, then turned, took two steps, then turned back around and held out her hand. “Hi, I'm the manager. What seems to be the problem?”

 

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

 

“Sir, language. There are children present.”

 

“ _You're_ the manager?”

 

“Well, that's what it says on the name tag.” She motioned to the rectangle piece of plastic pinned to her shirt that said: LYDIA - _Manager-_.

 

“Un...believable.”

 

“What? You didn't think a pretty girl could be in a position of power? That line of thinking is misogynistic, and will not be tolerated in this store.”

 

“No...this has nothing to do with you being a girl.”

 

“Then why was your first full sentence to me,'Uhhh you're a girl right?'” She'd deepened her voice and made her best 'surfer dude' impression. 

 

“One, I don't sound like that. And two, is that what this attitude is all about? Because I asked if you were a girl?”

 

“No, but now that you mention it-”

 

“Look!” He cut her off. “I just wanted some advice on what to get my secret Santa that I don't know, who _happens_ to be a girl, like _yourself_. I don't have friends that are girls that I can ask.”

 

“Well, then ask your mom.”

 

“Well, I wish I could, but she's dead! Thanks for reminding me.”

 

Lydia's face paled. “What?”

 

Stiles took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. “She died when I was nine and- and why am I telling you this?” He sighed. “Look, Lydia,” He looked at her name tag again to make sure he was right, then calmly continued. “I just... my friend, Scott...he really likes this girl, and it's probably not the last time I'm going to see her. I can't be known to her as _that guy_ _who got her the lamest Christmas present ever_ for the rest of their relationship...which very well may be the rest of my life. So, I'm sorry I asked about your gender, I'm sorry for making a scene in front of the children, I'm sorry for insulting your intelligence-”

 

“You insulted my intelligence?”

 

“I'm just covering all my bases,” he recovered. “I just need a gift that a girl would like that doesn't look like I went shopping the day before the party.”

 

Lydia's eyes narrowed, “Is the party tomorrow?”

 

“What? No,” he shook his head vehemently.

 

Lydia gave him a suspicious glance before releasing the breath she was holding. “Okay, I'll help you.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah...do you know anything about her? Like sometimes secret Santas fill out a list of favorites?”

 

Stiles shook his head. “No we didn't think about it. Allison and I know literally everyone else except for each other. The odds that one of us would get the other's name was in our favor. The Universe just hates me.”

 

“Why can't you ask your friend...Scott? Maybe find out what her favorite color is and go from there?”

 

“If I ask, then he'll know I got _her_. And where's the fun in that? The rules of Secret Santa are sacred.”

 

Lydia sighed. “Okay, well let's get started.”

 

* * *

 

After going through every text Scott had sent him about Allison, and stalking Scott's Facebook page (since hers was on private and he wasn't friends with her yet) so that Lydia could get a sense of her style, she gave him a choice of a scarf, bracelet, or watch. He nixed the bracelet, because jewelry seemed a little too intimate (and he had to convince Lydia again that he was _not_ secretly in love with Scott's girlfriend). He decided against the watch after remembering one time where Scott mentioned she was late to dinner. (He and Lydia both agreed that could send the wrong message.) He was left with a simple black knit infinity scarf.

 

“You don't think it's _too_ simple?” Stiles asked as Lydia gift-wrapped the scarf.

 

“She could always use a scarf. And when she thinks about you, you won't be _that guy who got her the lamest Christmas present in history_. You'll be _that guy that kept her warm during all of those cold nights_.”

 

Stiles groaned. “For the last time, I'm not. In love. With Allison.”

 

Lydia chuckled. “Um..I just wanted to apologize for how things started out. It's not a good excuse, but today has actually been surprisingly boring, and I was just having a little fun. I'm sorry if I offended you.”

 

“It's fine.” Stilles smiled. ”You helped me in the end. That's all that matters, I guess.”

 

Lydia laughed and extended her hand. “What was your name again?”

 

“Uh, Stiles,” he told her as he shook it.

 

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Stiles. Maybe I'll see you around.” He nodded and turned away to head toward the door. “I close everyday!” She called out, and he turned back to look at her. “Except for Thursday and Friday. Those are my days off.”

 

“I'll keep that in mind.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was a little over a week later when Stiles came back into the store.

 

“Is there a manager here?” He asked when he walked up to the counter.

 

Lydia looked up from tagging dresses ready to put her 'manager' face on, when she saw who it was and smiled coyly. “I'm the manager. What seems to be the problem, sir?”

 

“Well, last week I was in your store and this _awful_ girl tried to help me, and I was wondering if I could have your number so we could discuss my experience a little more thoroughly.”

 

Lydia chuckled. “Did it take you a week and a half to come up with that line?”

 

“No, actually I thought of that as I was coming in.”

 

“Huh, I'm impressed."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah, I almost bought that lie.” Stiles laughed, and Lydia continued. “How did your friend's girlfriend like that scarf?”

 

“Oh, she loved it. Big hit. I've actually,” he pulled his phone out, “got a picture of her wearing it...with her roommate,” He flipped the phone around to show her the picture, “ _Lydia._ ”

 

“Oh, would you look at that! Small world!”

 

“When did you realize I was shopping for your best friend?”

 

“Well, at the mention of Scott's name I was about 40 percent sure. When you mentioned the party was the next day, it went up to 60, and when you said her name was Allison, I was about 90 percent positive. I wasn't shocked at all when Scott's profile picture had her face in it.”

 

Stiles nodded. ”When are you off?”

 

“I've got about an hour.”

 

“What do you say, I wait for you and we can grab some coffee when you're done?”

 

“Sounds like a date,” she told him and grabbed his phone out of his hand, entered something, then handed it back. “And there's my number, in case you'd like discuss that employee a little more..." she paused to lick her lips, "in depth.”

 

“Hmm, maybe I will.” He said smoothly, then fumbled, “You know... she's probably on Santa's naughty list...and... should be spanked.” Lydia raised an eyebrow and Stiles cringed the moment the words left his mouth. “I'm sorry...That was bad...and I took it too far...”

 

Lydia smirked and made a small “Hm!” in the back of her throat as she lifted the dresses she'd just tagged off the counter. “Well,” she shrugged. “Spanking's not completely out of the question.” She walked away with the dresses, leaving Stiles blushing with wide eyes.

 

What was he getting himself into?


End file.
